Chinese word

不至于

Pronunciation

Pinyinbù zhì yú

Meaning

  • adverbnot that serious

Example

事情不至于那么严重，我们可以解决。shì qíng bú zhì yú nà me yán zhòng wǒ men ké yǐ jiě jué

The situation isn't that serious; we can solve it.

Illustration for 不至于 (not that serious)

More examples

他说的话有点夸张，不至于吧。tā shuō de huà yóu diǎn kuā zhāng bú zhì yú ba

What he says is a little exaggerated, but surely it isn't that serious.

Core concept

Keeps the speaker's assessment on the lower side of a scale, away from an extreme point.

Common phrases

  • 不至于吧bú zhì yú ba

    surely not that serious

Similar words

未必wèi bì: Indicates that a stated idea or expected result may not be true.
不见得bú jiàn de: Indicates that a judgment or expectation may not be correct.
不一定bù yí dìng: Indicates that something is not guaranteed to happen or be true.

Definition in Chinese

表示说话人认为情况没有那么严重或没有必要达到某种程度，常作副词使用。biǎo shì shuō huà rén rèn wéi qíng kuàng méi yǒu nà me yán zhòng huò méi yǒu bì yào dá dào móu zhǒng chéng dù cháng zuò fù cí shǐ yòng

Word origin

不至于 (bùzhìyú, "not reach that point") combines negation with the idea of reaching an extent, so the whole expression marks a boundary that the speaker believes the situation will not cross.

Usage tips

  • Unlike a simple English denial, it can acknowledge a real difficulty while rejecting an exaggerated level of concern, a useful pattern in calm spoken reassurance.

Other meanings

  • not a major issueadjective

Opposites

Word lists with this word